Vitali Named Champion Emeritus

The Board Meeting of the WBC and its president Jose Sulaiman have decided to appoint Vitali Klitschko, one of the WBC’s greatest and most successful Heavyweight Champions, as Champion Emeritus.

The WBC show his full support of Vitali Klitschko in his political activities in his home country Ukraine and understand that he is unable to defend his title inside the ring in the foreseeable future. Therefore the WBC appoint Klitschko Champion Emeritus and thus give him the opportunity to decide at a later point whether he wants to resign from professional boxing or fight for the WBC Heavyweight title again.

Vitali Klitschko: "I want to thank the WBC and its president Don Jose Sulaiman for the support in our fight for democracy and freedom in the Ukraine. It was and is a great honor to hold the WBC title and I've always done it with pride. The offer of the WBC gives me the theoretical possibility to return to the boxing ring which I cannot imagine at all to the current state. Right now, my full concentration is on politics in Ukraine, and I feel that the people need me there. My brother Wladimir will ensure more sporting success and I will - as always - support him as much as he currently supports me in my political fight, " says Vitali Klitschko whose professional record is 44-2 with 40 KOs.

For the first time, Vitali Klitschko captured the WBC Heavyweight crown in 2004. After a break of his career of almost four years due to an injury, he returned to the boxing ring in 2008 and succeeded one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. With an impressive performance against reigning WBC Champion Samuel Peter, Klitschko regained the WBC belt for the second time by TKO 8. Thus he became the fourth boxer alongside Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis to win a heavyweight belt for the third time. With this success and his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko also being a World Heavyweight Champion, both Klitschkos were at the same time World Heavyweight Champion which secured them an entry into the sports history books. In 2011, the Klitschko brothers even became the first siblings to unify all heavyweight belts under one family name.